


Like Real People Do

by Mrsacedoctor



Category: Supernatural
Genre: A LOT of Angst, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Brief biphobia, But a lot of fluff too, Cas Flirting, Cas has a crush on Dean, Cas is a theology teacher, Castiel and Amelia Novak are exes, Castiel is Claire's father, Castiel with kids, Charlie and Dorothy are married, Dad!Dean, Dean and Lisa are having problems, Dean flirting, Dean has a crush on Cas, Dean is Ben's father, Dean is a body shop teacher, Dean with kids, Domestic destiel, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, M/M, Moving In Together, Sam and Jess are married, Slow Burn, Teacher!Dean, dad!Cas, teacher!Cas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-28
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-03 18:32:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5302328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrsacedoctor/pseuds/Mrsacedoctor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Castiel never meant for that kiss to happen. Especially because Dean is married. But when they are paired up to plan the school's homecoming dance, there may be no boundaries left uncrossed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dean Winchester was awakened by the shrewd chirping of his alarm clock on Monday morning. His usual routine began as he pulled himself up off of his bed, careful not to disturb Lisa next to him. He cast a regret-filled, guilty look at his wife, feeling the aftermath of the previous night still in his bones.

He rubbed his eyes and allowed for his body to wake up a little. Then, swinging his feet over the side of the bed, he quickly strode over to his dresser where his outfit for the day was laid out. He pulled the casual white collared shirt on, buttoned it, then stepped into his favorite pair of dark blue slacks. He checked his hair in the mirror above the drawers by the dim light of the rising son before walking out of his bedroom.

Just before he got to the bathroom, Dean made a pit-stop into Ben's room to make sure he was getting ready for school. He saw Ben's body still curled up underneath the swarm of blankets. Dean sighed. Raising his hand, he flicked the light switch on and off repeatedly before approaching Ben in his bed.

"Hey there, Tiger," Dean said, nudging him awake, "time to get up." Grumbled protests rumbled through Ben as he turned over, away from Dean. "Com'on now, kiddo. I don't want to have to do this the hard way." This was met with more whining but this time, Ben threw his blankets off of himself and began to get up. "That's my boy."

Dean patted Ben on the back and went down the hall into the bathroom where he finished his morning cleanse of brushing his teeth, combing his dirty blond hair into place, and washing his face with a cold towel. When he came back, he saw a weary eyed boy sitting on the couch watching the television will a blank, mind-numbing stare.

"Hey now, is everything ready for school?" Dean inquired as he walked past.

"Yeah." Ben's answer was barely audible.

"Are you sure? I don't see no damn shoes on your feet." Dean waved absently at Ben's socks.

"We're not leaving for like, another ten minutes." Ben countered, yawning and rubbing his small hands over his face.

"Yeah, well, I don't want to be rushing out the door in ten minutes while you look for your shoes. Now go put them on." This was met with a groan only a ten-year-old could make, but Dean smiled as Ben walked over to the closet and started rummaging through it, pulling out shoe by shoe.

"Make sure you put all of those back!" Dean instructed teasingly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He heard, muffled by the closet.  
Dean opened up the cabinet. There were only waffles and a small amount of cocoa crispies left. He made an internal groan. He told Lisa to pick up cereal on her way home yesterday. Guess her anger at him was starting to bleed into their food selection. Just when Dean placed a couple of instant waffles in the toaster, Ben called out "Got 'em!"

"Good. Now come out here and get some breakfast before we go." Dean sat down at the dining table and checked his email on his phone, wondering if Chuck had scheduled any surprise meetings for the Shop Department. The guy was a great principle to the kids but his lack of experience being a leader was clear with the staff. Dean probably wouldn't be able to make it through a professional development hour if it wasn't for that Religion and Theology elective teacher, Castiel Novak. Their acquaintanceship was the only reason Dean had known what went on in the other meetings. What would he do now? He couldn't eactly ask the guy for information after what happened.

"Dad!" Ben's whined.

Dean looked up from his phone and saw Ben standing, looking into the breakfast selection. "Yeah, bud?"

"Did you take the last of the eggos?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Dean apologized, putting his phone away, "The last two are in the toaster now. Would you like one of mine?"

"Yes please," Ben said just as the waffles popped up.

"Go ahead, grab one," Dean instructed then, looking down at his watch, "We should probably get packed into the car."

Dean got up, threw on his jacket, picked up his work bag, and received his one waffle from Ben as they made their way out of the house.

The weather was calm for a late Kanas summer. Usually, the heat was bolstering by as the sun began to rise at this time in August. Well, Dean considered, it was two days away from September. Perhaps the fall weather was setting in early.

"Looks like there might be a storm coming," Dean commented as he and Ben walked to the blue Camry in the driveway. It was Lisa's car, but she wasn't commuting with him today, and he knew that if he took Ben in the other car, she would be furious.

"Hey, Dad?" Ben piped.

"Hey, Ben?" Dean called back, pulling out his keys and clicking the car to unlock.

"Can we take the cool car?" Dean sighed, wishing he hadn't given Ben a ride in the Impala last week, much to the protest of Lisa, as the older car didn't have seatbelts.

"Not today, Ben," He said as he opened the sedan's door and climbed inside, gesturing for Ben to hurry his ass up. He definitely had Dean's swagger, but he had Lisa's slowness.

Eventually Ben pulled himself into his seat and was buckling himself. "Why not?"

Dean started the ignition and began pulling out of the driveway, hoping Ben would let the subject drop. "Because I said so."

"But I told my friends that you had a cool car," Ben whined, kicking his feet slightly against the back of Dean's seat.

"Well, that was your fault then." That response was rewarded with Ben leaning back and pouting, but at least he was quiet. Dean was running on no coffee this morning and the argument with Lisa last night still had remnants in his blood. He really did not want that to seep into his relationship with his son.

"Did you get in trouble with Mom last night?" Oh no, Ben had heard them arguing. Dean leaned his head against the window, rubbing the bridge of this nose. He had hoped that he and Lisa had been quiet enough not to wake Ben last night. This was a conversation he had hoped to avoid.

"Yeah. Yeah, I did." Dean admitted, stiffening and returning two hands to the wheel.

"What did you do?" Ben asked innocently.

"Something stupid." Something so incredibly stupid that Dean can't even think about it. He had completely fucked up and he knew it. Lisa's anger was not unwarranted, he knew that perfectly well.

"Are you and mom going to get a divorce?" Ben's voice was quiet and tender.

"Oh, no, no, buddy," Dean reassured him, reaching behind with one hand to pat Ben's leg, "No, mom and I are not getting divorced. You don't have to worry about that."

"Okay." Dean knew that he wasn't fooling himself or Ben when he said that. While divorce was not on the table with him and Lisa, it definitely was not out of the realm of possibility.

They drove in silence for the next few minutes to the school. Because Dean was a teacher, Ben escaped the issue of a bus ride in the mornings, which made life much easier. But it was also a pain because the elementary school was on the other side of the campus from the high school, where Dean worked. Which is why Lisa usually carpooled with them, to make sure that Ben got into his class without a problem. But unfortunately, Lisa could not be there to do that.

Dean pulled into the parking lot. Helping Ben out of the car, he apologized. "Sorry, I was snippy with you. Dad's just a little grumpy today."

"It's okay." Ben hugged him tightly.

Dean patted his son on the back. "Do you know where to go? Do you need me to walk you inside?"

Ben shook his head. "No, I know where to go."

"Alright, kid." Dean gave him a quick peck on the top of the head. He made sure Ben had all he needed before sending him on his way to the fifth grade part of the building.

Once he was sure that Ben was inside, safe and with his teacher, Dean checked his phone again. He prayed that there were no last minute assignments for him today. A large groan escaped him as he saw a new email from Chuck stating that there was paperwork that needed to be filled out by the department heads. It was probably some stupid shit that wouldn't affect the body shop.

Dean opened messenger and shot a text to Charlie, his one and only friend in the school, asking her to pick him up some coffee. He was going to need it from the looks of this day. She responded that she would but that he owed her a lunch. He smirked, thanked her, and then began making his way down to the high school.

The walk was tedious, but he had gotten used to its length after three years of dropping off Ben. He knew every rock and crack in the pavement by this point and it took him about five minutes to get to the entrance of the building.

He made his way down the halls, waving at his co-workers as he walked by. Giving small head nods to Benny, the History DPH, Gabriel, the Graphic Arts and Design teacher, and Becky, the high-wired Vice Principle, though she didn't do much else other than hurry down the hall like a stage-manager for a fashion show as she usually did.

Dean took out his keys and unlocked his classroom. He strode over to his desk and slumped into his chair. He let out a heavy sigh, trying not to think about last night now that there was no background noise to distract him.

He and Lisa had been having problems for a few weeks now. Well, they actually started last year, but they were just now becoming prominent. Dean had taken a promotion. Over the summer, Lisa had only been mildly annoyed that Dean did not consult her on it. But after that Friday night, everything became a living guilt trip inside Dean's head.

Last night he told her the truth of what happened. He came out and to her that he had gotten drunk with a group of co-workers and that he had kissed someone else. She was rightfully upset but when Dean also told her that he had taken the promotion, which caused him to stay away from home much more than he already had been, it became a bigger deal. He had tried to explain to her that if he hadn't taken it, then their financial situation wouldn't have gotten any better. They had been in a rut and the bonus start-up that came with the new job was basically their only option if they didn't want to borrow more money for family. But Lisa argued that time away from home was just an excuse to cheat on her with his new boytoy. Things just went in circles and didn't exactly end. They just found a mutual agreement that if they continued fighting, Ben would wake up. So they went to bed with fires in their systems and Ben still heard them.

"Wow, man, rough night?" Charlie's voice brought him back to the present. She held out his coffee. He took it in earnest, taking a large swig. "You look like shit."

"Thanks, Charlie." Dean cast her a dark look, but she just shrugged.

"Just making an observation." She joked but then went into her mom-friend mode. "That bad?" He didn't look at her. "Fighting with Lisa again?" He cast her a glance filled with his sense of regret and self-loathing that was coursing through him since last night. "Oh. So you told her." Dean couldn't respond to that, it still bruised to think about. So he just took another sip of his drink.

"Alright, if you don't want to talk, that's cool, but if you decide to, just come by the computer lab fourth period." She gave him a familial hug before letting herself out. Dean knew he should talk to her about Lisa, Charlie always had the right thing to say. But he felt like this was something he couldn't talk about with her. There was only one person he could talk it out with, but seeing him would just make things worse.

 

Dean's first few classes passed in a breeze. First level students didn't actually touch the cars so he did not have a lot of clean up to do during passings. It was his Garage Three and Four that he needed to prepare for. Luckily, those were double blocks with breaks in between them.

He totally bypassed meeting Charlie to talk about Lisa, but it was not his fault. During the break between his two most involved classes, that Theology teacher made his way in. Castiel. The one who made his chest bloom and his heart race like he was thirteen again. The one he was not allowed to think about. The dude just sort of wove his way through the line of car frames and made his way over to Dean.

Dean wiped his greasy hands on a towel. "What are you doing in this neck of the woods? Aren't you supposed to be teaching about Jesus right now?" Dean's flirtatious voice slipped in easily like when they first met and he bit his tongue to keep from doing it again. Castiel rolled his bright blue eyes and shook his raven-haired head.

"I don't just teach about Christianity. I teach all religions, you know this Dean." Castiel corrected and Dean held back his sarcastic comment. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Then why are you here, Buddha?" Dean teased, putting down the towel and crossing his arms. Another eye roll from Castiel.

"Did you get Edlund's email this morning?" Castiel said impatiently.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "The one about the Department meeting? Yeah, why?"

"What? No, not that one."

"He sent out another?" Dean was going to kick his boss's ass.

"Yes. Read it." Dean pulled out his phone and logged into his account. "Did you open it?" Castiel seemed very restless for some reason. Dean hadn't seen the guy this avid since-- that time he will never think about or mention again.

"Not yet, chill out dude." As he scrolled through his business emails, Dean placed a hand on Castiel's shoulder absentmindedly. Sure enough, there was a new one. "What's this?"  
It was an ad for a school dance, a formal one. One for Friday. One that had not been planned, nor mentioned, not even spoken about. Dean repeated, vehemently "WHAT IS THIS?" casting a scornful look at Castiel, shoving the ad in the other man's face. "What does Chuck think he's doing?" Dean leaned on Castiel's shoulder and closed his eyes for a second. His stress levels were hitting an all-time high and this was just making things worse.

When he opened his eyes, he was staring directly into Castiel's. The ice blue was a torch under his green ones. A heated moment of connection sparked but Dean cut the cord by shaking his head and pulling as far away from Castiel as he could without being obvious that he was thinking of the incident a couple of weeks ago. The one he convinced himself didn't mean anything.

He attempted to move past the awkwardness by continuing the issue at hand. "We have no time to plan this. Does Chuck want this to be a disaster?"

Castiel seemed to catch on to the whole letting go part. "I have no idea, all I know is that we are partnered for chaperoning."

Oh goddamnit. This was not going to turn out well. Dean could feel it.

"Seriously? Fuck." Dean raked his hands through his hair. This was more stress than he could handle at the moment. He looked at Castiel, who looked so stoic in this hour. Castiel looked at him in a regard that Dean could remember all too well. And It was reflected when Castiel's gaze dipped slightly. Dean felt his lips part and his own eyes fall down the other man's body. He knew exactly what was working through Castiel's mind. And god help him he was too.

But that was not moral of him to think. Not even while he was frustrated with Lisa. Not even when he and Castiel shared a single drunken kiss that had more passion than those Dean and Lisa had shared for ten years. Not even then.

"Mr. Novak, um, I think it might be best if we ask Chuck to not be assigned this together," Dean suggested, finding it difficult to look at him when he said it.

"You don't need to call me--" Mr. Novak started, but Dean cut him off.

"I think it's best if I do." Dean stared at the wall, ignoring th enormous pain his heart. He began stacking manuals for his next class as he suggested, "I'll find someone to cover my spot. You should, too."

Castiel took a second to answer. "Yes...I understand. That sounds reasonable." Another pause before a quiet, remorseful, "Goodbye, Dean." He left by the clicking of shoes followed by a slam of the door that shook Dean in more ways than one.

Dean closed his eyes and told himself that he was not upset about pushing Mr. Novak away. That his heart was not breaking. That he was not emotionally sore. That what he was feeling was not real and was just a result of fighting with Lisa. That it would all fade away once things with his wife were back to normal.

It was futile.


	2. Chapter 2

Cas left the garage, glancing around the empty hallway, hoping it wasn't obvious that he was practically running. How could he have been so stupid? Of course, Dean didn't want to see him, let alone work with him. Cas put a hand to his forehead. Fuck. He possibly just screwed this whole thing up. Why did he have to go see Dean right then? Addressing this problem could have waited until the meeting later today. Hell, he could have just approached Edlund without going to Dean at all. There were a million different ways he could have avoided the extremely uncomfortable meeting.

His strides long and paced, he ignored all of the looks he was getting, hoping to God that they weren't making presumptions about him walking out of Dean's classroom. He had no energy to focus on the cause for speculation and he knew Dean especially did not have time for it.

"Shit." He cursed to himself, as the bell rang out, signalling the start of the net period. He sped his pace up and barely made it into his classroom before the mid-morning announcements began. He was met with a couple of concerned glances from the seniors at his huffing and puffing, but he paid them no mind. It wasn't his students he needed to worry about. 

Chuck's voice droned and stuttered over the intercom, announcing a few sports practices and a staff meeting after school. Nothing Cas hadn't known before.

He flipped through a pile of papers that were stacked, looking for his lesson plans for the day. Pages flicked over each other, but none of them had the heading that Cas needed. He had his lower class papers, but the senior syllabuses seemed to have vanished. Paper after paper, pile after pile, there was no sign of them. He threw his hands up in the air in defeat. Looking up, He saw his students waiting to be instructed on the lesson. With as much dignity has he could muster Cas addressed them.

"Well, it appears that I have forgotten my lesson for today," He admitted, "And I don't particularly remember what I wrote down." The class began talking amongst themselves. Some in the front looked a bit disappointed. Cas was happy about that. Being an electives course, the students, about ten of them, all chose to be here.

After a second of thought, Cas decided what to do. "Instead of the lesson, we're going to have a class discussion about theories regarding your before-life. Has anyone heard of that?" Not a single student raised their hand. Cas smiled, good, he could teach at least one thing new today. "Well, everyone's heard of the after-life." Cas got up and started writing on the whiteboard. "But what is rarely mentioned, is what is before our creation. Where were our souls before they were us?" Cas turned back around and saw a couple of hands in the air. He pointed at a young man in the back. "Yes, Kevin?"

The kid swallowed and shifted a little before answering. "Well, aren't souls spontaneously created when we're conceived?"

"Yes, good theory." He made a note of Kevin's answer on the board. "That is one of the most common." Cas selected a blond girl up front. "Lilly, anything to add?"

"I think our souls are recycled. So we had past lives." The girl suggested.

"The concept of past lives is greatly discussed. I personally believe that reincarnation is one of the better standing theories."

Cas continued the discussion with his class, writing idea after idea, thoery after theory. He was always surprised at the amount of creativity his classes brought to him each year regarding this subject. Normally he waited until the end of the semester to talk about it. This would be a good recall point for them now.

The fifth period bell rang. He wished them a good day and reminded them about the homework that is due the following morning. As the last couple of students made their way out, Hannah poked her head through the door frame.

"Castiel, do you have a minute?" She was always so polite to him, even from his first day. He always had a sense of fondness for Hannah.

"Of course, come on in. This is my prep period." Cas waved her inside and she calmly took a seat next to his desk. "What do you need?"

"Well, it has come to my attention that you were assigned to plan the Formal with Mr Winchester." Cas tried his best not to blush, but he could feel his cheeks burning. But Hannah did not seem to notice. "I was wondering if it would be alright to offer myself to work with him instead. I know how awkward it would be if the two of you were to work on this together." Cas felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"Yes, that would be the best thing you could do." He thanked, grateful that he and Dean won't be the only ones asking to not work together. And grateful that he did not have to ask anyone to take his place to cause questionings in his sense of professionalism.

"It's no problem, Castiel," She said sincerely, before giving him a small smile and making her way back out of the room. He smiled back, feeling as if she lifted a great burden off of his shoulders. Perhaps she had. Who knows what could ensue if he and Dean had to work together, just them.

Cas knew that he would be more than happy. It was Dean where the problem lied. Dean, who had been flirtatious from the first moment they met. Dean who met with him every day for lunch since his first week teaching there. Dean whose hands purposely not-on-purpose graced Cas' when handing him papers. Dean who looked into his eyes with such fire. Dean who Cas was reciprocating all of those actions back. Dean's whose lips felt like heaven on his, even in a drunken state.

But also Dean who was unavailable. Dean who was married. Dean who had a child. Dean who loved his family. Dean who, despite what happened that night, wanted to be faithful to that family

Cas respected all of that. But he wasn't going to lie to himself by saying he wasn't disappointed. That he wasn't heartbroken. He knew that he could not, and he would not, ever, make Dean feel uncomfortable or pressured. So Dean had to keep his distance for Cas to strictly professional. That was the righteous thing to do. Stupid Dean always being a righteous man.

Cas made himself return to reality by squeezing his hand so his nails pinched into his palm. After a couple of deep breaths, he tried to grade the papers he needed to get done. His freshman had just taken their first essay. It had been and easy one. The simplest of questions.

Cas taught his classes as if they were college level. He did not use collagen level questions, but a college/university style. All of this tests, mid-years, and finals were single questioned essays. This freshman one was "Do Soul Mates exist?" A simple enough, opinion question. Cas liked to get a sense of his students' way of thinking before he began he more difficult prompts.

As he began to read through them, he noticed that most of his student's this year did not believe in soul mates. Cas' heart broke at that thought. These kids did not think that there as someone out there made specifically for them. They didn't believe that they would find that someone in their lives. What was most intriguing was that while they didn't believe in Soul Mates, some claimed they still believed in true love. Cas noted that as a discussion point. How could you believe in true love, but not soulmates? That would be an interesting debate tomorrow.

Paper after paper, Cas graded. He was looking for strong support of their claims and he found most of them did. Relieved that he didn't have to explain how to write and format an essay, Cas gave a good number of them high-ranking marks. This was going to be a good semester.

The sixth block bell rang, signaling lunchtime. Cas dove into his messenger bag and pulled out an instant pasta bowl. He opened it up, placed a napkin over it and walked into his office, just across the hall from his classroom. He weaved his way through the halls, almost making it to the microwave before someone was stepping in front of him. Before that person made him stop suddenly, causing his pasta to go flying. All over them.

Apologizing profusely, Cas noticed it was the Guidance Counselor, Meg Masters. A small, brunette woman who sometimes substituted for hs class on occasion. She gave him a mischievous grin before taking a paper towel to her clothes. Fortunately, there was no sauce on this pasta. Just butter.

"Why thanks, Cas, just what I needed." Her sarcasm as impeccable. But the smirk on her face told him that she was joking entirely.

"I'm terribly sorry, Meg. I hope I didn't ruin your shirt." Cas said while picking the noodles off the floor.

"Its only a stupid shirt." She waved it off. "But, there might be a way to make it up to me." Her smirk filled with mirth.

"I'm sorry, was that a flirtation?" But she didn't answer him. When he stood up, she dragged his hands along the neck of his black collar, smoothing it out delicately, letting her fingers linger on her skin. She tugged him forward a little bit.

"You and me, drinks. Friday night." Cas swallowed. Her face was a little too close for his comfort. He closed his eyes and softly shook his head. He took her hands and calmly placed them down.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." He straightened up, trying to let her off easy.

"Aw, but why not?" Her voice was still sultry.

Cas looked at her. This was not anything new. Meg had always been a bit too friendly with him, and he needed an excuse not to go out. Because he really did not have one. Except for that. Before he knew it, he was saying, "Because I have to chaperone the Formal that night." Damn him. This meant that he would have to tell Hannah not to offer to replace him after all. This meant that if Dean didn't step out, they would be working together.

Meg pouted. "Really, Cas, a stupid school dance over drinks with me? That's a low blow." Despite her words, her face was still bright, so Cas knew that he hadn't really offended her.

"Maybe another time." He apologized again before excusing himself out of the conversation. He hated saying no to people but the last time he and Meg got drinks together, he wound up kissing Dean, ruining the only stable friendship he had outside of Hannah. Well maybe it hadn't been as stable as he originally thought if it came crumbling down with a single kiss. Or maybe it hadn't been a friendship at all. Maybe it had been more than that but they both knew that it was not the right thing to do by falling into it.

He knew that he and Meg could have fun together. He knew that Meg would be a good time. But he just could not find her appealing to him. He tried. That's why they had gone out to the bar that night. So he could get over his crush. It just so happened that his crush was there as well. And a few shots later, he crossed that line and ruined everything. So it really wasn't fair to Meg.

Stomach growling, Cas searched his pockets for spare change and managed to round up enough to pay for a bag of chips from the vending machine. Shoes clicking down the tiled floors, he made his way to the cafeteria. He careened around passing students, occasionally saying "Hi" before continuing on his way.

He bounced on his heels impatiently as he slit his quarters in and waited for his bag to drop. It was as if God did not want him to have a good day, as the bag of Baked Lays got trapped between the selections on its way down.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Cas exclaimed in frustration. How hard could it be to get food today? He slammed on the glass a few times but the chips would not move. He looked down at his watch. Only seven minutes until his lunch break was over. Shit. Maybe Charlie had food he could borrow. She always had tons to snack on during the lunches he had with Dean.

Should he just go back to his classroom and prep for his class for the remaining time or should he risk seeing Dean again and get food? His stomach let out a protest and he decided that going to Charlie would be the best thing to do.

When he finally got down to the computer sciences office, he spotted Charlie right away, her bright red hair in a noticeable high ponytail, her head bobbing along in conversation with someone. As he walked towards her, he prayed it wasn't Dean. To his relief, it was only Gabriel.

With a little more confidence in his system, Castiel piped up, "Hey Charlie!" He approached the table in mind of the dwindling time he had before the bell rang.

She looked a little wide-eyed and jumped a bit at his voice. "Oh hi, Castiel. Not used to seeing you around here. What can I do for you? Are you looking for Dean?"

Cas shook his head in earnest, his face flushing. "Oh, no, no. I don't think he wants to see me right now." 

Charlie gave a small, sympathetic frown. "Yeah, he told me what Chuck did. Sucks man. Especially for you." 

"What do you mean?" An intruding comment from the third party intervened,  "Cassie will have Dean in his hands. That's the best thing to ever happen." Cas shot daggers at Gabriel for his unsolicited opinion. 

Before Cas could say anything, Charlie explained. "Not when Dean's married, Gabe." 

The small man waved her off. "Oh, marriage, smarriage. Nothing but a piece of paper." He threw an aside to Cas, "Just go for it. Everyone knows Dean would leave Lisa in a heartbeat for you." Charlie smacked him before Cas could lay a finger. Cas couldn't help the sense of yearning spawning from his heart when Gabriel said that. He couldn't help picturing Dean and him, actually being together. He couldn't help but picture going on dates and doing stupid boyfriend things. But at what cost? He would be hurting Lisa if he did that. A woman who did nothing to him but that he did everything to. He kissed her husband. Lisa was not the one at fault, he was. And he deserved to be punished and if not seeing Dean anymore was the penance, he made his peace with that. 

"Gabriel. This is not the time," Charlied scolded. She turned back to Cas, her eyes filled with understanding. "What did you need, again?"

"I was wondering if you had any food I could eat. It's a long story." Cas cast an apologetic look at her. Charlie smiled in turn.

"Of course," She replied, digging into her lunch bag. "What would you like..the Fritos, the Cheetos, or the snack-pack?" Each item came out as she listed them, placed on next to the other in order.

"Go for the Cheetos, Cassie." Cas rolled his eyes.

"Shut the fuck up, Gabriel." and then to Charlie, "I'll take the pudding if that's okay." Charlie gave him the go-ahead and he picked up the chocolate dessert, ripping off the plastic cover and eating it out of the cup, not bothering to grab a spoon.

"That's just disgusting, bro. Have a some manners!" Gabriel called as Cas made his way out into the hallway.

"I said _`shut the fuck up`_ " Cas responded back, rewarded with his brother laughing from the distance. He hated working with family. It made it even worse that it was Gabriel. Of all this brothers, the one he was most annoyed by had to be his co-worker. Well, it could be worse. He could have Rafael has his boss. That would definitely be more of an issue. But still, having Gabriel work with him was going to be a pain in his ass.

The bell rang for class to start just as he walked in. Face still covered in pudding, Cas addressed his second Junior session and started his lesson plan. Strange looks were abound, but they didn't say anything to him. And in all honesty, he couldn't give two shits.

Assigning them a bell-ringer activity. He wiped his face with one of his napkins and took his seat at his desk. He slumped down and took in a deep breath. This day was becoming less and less bearable.

Fortunately, his last two classes passed by in a breeze. His Junior curriculum was light on purpose, hoping he could let off the stress he knew that Juniors went through during the year. He wished he could be with them the entire year, but he was only allowed to have a semester per class.

After the dismissal bell rang and his students had left, Cas prepped his mental state for the meeting about the Formal. Praying Dean had gotten someone to replace himself. If not, there were bound to be stories to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I'll be switching perspectives every chapter, but it was fun to write inside Cas' head.   
> I love reading what you guys think so don't be afraid to leave a comment! Thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Dean had no idea what he was going to do. He hadn't gotten someone to volunteer to take his position to chaperone the dance. Neither Benny nor Garth, the Mythology elective teacher, were able to make it. Not even Charlie.

She claimed that she had plans with Dorothy that night, but he had a sneaking suspicion she just wanted to get him in the same room as Cas, er, Mr. Novak. A lecture from her earlier led Dean to believe that she wanted him to talk about it with someone and had caught on that the only person who Dean would even consider talking about it with was the man who caused him to screw shit up in the first place. Dean shook his head. There was no way that he was going to have that conversation.

With no one to cover him, Dean just hoped that Novak had gotten someone. He felt bare and naked without a plan as he walked into the boardroom. This was his second meeting of the day, the one previous had been just what Dean expected, a stupid field trip proposal that didn't affect his area at all. But this meeting did. It didn't affect his students or himself classroom wise, but if things didn't go correctly, shit was going to hit the fan.

As he placed a poker face on, he waded over to the seat that Benny had saved him. He caught his friend's eye and waved. Benny beckoned him over in response. Just when he began moving, Ca-Mr Novak walked in. With the catch of Dean's eye, he saw a faint shake of Novak's head and he groaned. The stupid motherfucker didn't get anyone to cover for him either. Shit.

Per usual, Chuck was the last to arrive at the meeting. He was a small man. Very timid and often nervous. He was, at times, so nervous that it made Dean wonder how this guy even got to the point of being a principle. He was always scratching at his beard or pulling on his clothes during meetings when he spoke to the group as a whole.

It was different around the kids. He was always calm and polite and knew what to do. He could get through to them easily and was highly praised by the student body. Chuck openly promoted the arts and the school had a few state championships.

But it was a bad day for Chuck today. His buttons were undone and his hair was strewn. Dean could feel the vibrations of his labored breathing and could see the smoke from the gears turning in his head. Dean leaned back and prepared for the worst.

"So, yo-you, guys-s, ar-are all, um, here. That's, um, good. Yes." Chuck's stammering was endearing at times. But not today.

"Just spit it out, Eds." Meg Masters snarked. Dean felt his blood cool and his eyes narrowed at her. She was a smart-ass, which Dean could appreciate sometimes, but she was mostly a bitch. And it seemed that her bitchy remarks were more cynical than comedic today.

Chuck nodded nervously. "Uh yes, yeah, okay. Um, you guys got my email, right?" He held up the screen of his phone to the room, looking like a complete dumbass.

"Yes, they wouldn't be here if you hadn't sent it out." Becky reminded him, jabbing him in the side with her pen. He flinched at the poke and gaped at her in pain. He was about to protest to her, but she turned his face away, squeezing his cheeks, so he faced the room again.

Ripping himself free, he continued. "Well, uh, the student's last year wanted a homecoming, so I decided to plan one." He gave a weak, guilty smile.

"But this is scheduled for this Friday," Dean complained, "Why so damn soon?" A plunder of agreements moved through the room at his question.

"Well, it's almost the second month into school so I decided it would be at the end of the week, just as the new month begins." He looked so proud yet so scared. Dean almost felt bad for him. Almost.

"Well, you can't expect me to chaperone," Dean said, glancing back to Novak, who was staring at him back. Was Novak always looking at him?

"Yes, I can. I need you and Castiel to plan and chaperone while the rest of the staff needs to promote it to the students and collect decorations." Chuck said it hurriedly, like he was fearful of Dean's reaction.

Dean felt his face get hot. "What? The email just said we were to chaperone the damn thing. Not plan it!" Dean spread his arms out and he stared accusingly at Chuck. This dumbass better have the best damn excuse for making him plan a formal dance with the guy who he'd made the worst, yet best, mistake of his life with.

"Well, yeah, I mean. You and Castiel are the two most popular teachers." Chuck defended, Becky supporting him with nods, "I figured you guy would be the best to plan it."

Dean dragged his palms over his eyes. He was just going to dig himself a deeper hole if he continued to argue the point. He just needed to accept his six feet and dirty spade while he could. He was a dead man already anyway this went.

"Alright, Chuck, when does this planning start?" Dean conceded. His head felt like it was going to melt and he knew there was an argument waiting at home.

"Yeah, um, you guys are going to have to figure that out with each other." Dean let out a heavy sigh. Of course they were. Of course, they had to meet and talk and plan this stupid dance on their own time. Because God forbid Chuck actually fucking plan something with a window of opportunity.

"I don't think that would be appropriate." Finally, Novak fucking speaks up. Dude has been silent on this whole situation and it had been close to driving Dean mad.

"How so, bucko?" Becky was apparently very defensive of Chuck's integrity and authority on this case.

Novak said plainly, "Dean and I have a complicated history." Becky went wide eyed in false surprise.

"Well, we don't have time to do switcheroos. So you two are stuck with each other." Of course they were. Just what both he and Novak hoped to have avoided. Looks as if the fight waiting for him at home was going to be a forest fire rather than a bonfire.

"If that's all, I dismiss this meeting," Chuck said, looking relieved that he didn't have to talk to anyone anymore.

Dean started packing up all of his things. He tugged on his blazer and gathered his couple of notebooks and swung his backpack over his shoulder.

As he passed people on his way out, he could hear Novak calling after him. He purposely quickened his pace, knowing that if he were to talk to that man, he would explode. His coworkers were crowding his way and he did everything except shove them as eh attempted to escape. The need for air was eating at him and he knew talking to that son of a bitch was just going to light a match.

It took too damn long for Dean to push past everyone. He was practically running for the elevator. Still hearing his name in the distance, Dean pushed rapidly on the down button, praying the doors would open up faster.

"Come on, come on, come on..." Dean muttered, bouncing on his heels. He glanced behind him and saw Novak turn the corner and catch his eye. Fuck. Does this dude not no how to take a goddamn hint?

A heavenly ding rang out and Dean whipped into the elevator, turning to the keys and pressing close over and over again, but just as they were closing, a hand blocked them. Novak strode in, his cheeks flushed, his lips pressed together in a line.

"Dean." Just the one word but it held so much weight. The elevator shut and locked just the two of them in the space as it began its descent.

Dean pretended to ignore him. He looked down at his feet, or straight ahead at the numbers counting down. Those damn things had never been so slow in his entire life.

"Dean," Novak repeated, this time much more forcefully. And when he still didn't acknowledge his name, Novak physically pushed on his shoulder in order to make him face him. Dean's back was pressed into the handlebar, his eyes wide with surprise at the amount of force there was. And then he felt the confining space become ten times more tense than they had been.

Novak was dangerously close and looked pissed off. His hair was matted, his tie loose, his chest breathing heavy, his coat disheveled. Dean looked over his body out of habit and licked his lips absentmindedly.

Novak appeared to notice and his gaze dropped to Dean's lips. Dean felt a weight part his mouth and felt himself moving forward, seemingly beyond his control. The heat radiating off of Novak--fuck it--Castiel's body was so hot he could feel it without touching him.

Their mouths were inches away, but when Castiel's hand graced his, the spell fizzled and Dean pushed him back. "No." Was all he said, the buzz in his head gone like ice water had been poured over him.

This is why they couldn't work together. Fuckin, Dean couldn't even be in an elevator with the guy without it becoming a space filled with unresolved sexual tension. How was he going to handle being at either of their homes alone with each other? _Why was he assuming they would be at each other's house?_

This time, Dean was running out of the school. No one was in the lobby to see him. He just needed to get to his car and get Ben and go home. He needed to get away from Castiel.

But that motherfucker had other plans in mind. "Dean!" He was running after him! That idiot! "Dean, wait!" Dean stopped and whirled around to face him.

Cas could barely get a word out before Dean was stalking forward, ears hot. "You leave me alone, you got that? Leave me the hell alone." He warned.

Castiel gave him a guilt-ridden look. "I know that I should. But I can't exactly do that." Dean knew that, but he didn't give a shit.

"Well, you could have if you found someone to cover you like we agreed this morning." He accused.

Castiel looked offended. "You're one to talk, Dean. You didn't exactly hold up your end either."

Dean threw up his arms. "Guess we're both a couple of dumbasses then." He turned away from Castiel. He couldn't bare to look at him at this time.

"Dean I," Castiel began, his voice softer, "I don't see why we can't be adults about this."

For the second time, Dean flew around. "Are you serious? How can you say that after what just happened in there?" He pointed in the general direction of the elevator. "How can you say that after that Friday night, huh?" Castiel looked down.

"Dean I-" But Dean wasn't finished yet.

"How can you say that we can just _'be adults'_ when after all that shit went down and I still want to kiss you--" Dean bit his tongue, cutting himself off. Castiel stared at him, blue eyes filling, analyzing what Dean just blurted out.

"What?" Fuck him. Dean was just a goddamn idiot. A bigger idiot than Castiel. 

"Forget what I said. I have to go pick up my son from his after school program." Dean turned abruptly and began stalking towards the school.trying to block from his memory what he just admitted out loud.

"You can't just--" But Dean interrupted before he could get another word out.

"I am going to pick up my son, and then I'm going _home_ , Castiel, to my _wife_ ," Dean said it very slowly, enunciating every word with perfect clarity.

He heard a huff behind him, and he stopped again. "Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Dean turned his head slowly and saw Castiel standing there solemnly, not fighting anymore, just standing. Dean felt his anger and frustration leave his body.

"We can't." Dean shook his head. "I can't, Cas. Not when I'm still with Lisa. Not when I have a son that I need to think of. I am not in a position to be selfish with my desires." Footsteps approached him from behind and a hand came over his shoulder, caressing it. Castiel came into his view, his face close but not too close.

"I understand. But I can't afford to lose this job. So please." Castiel rubbed his shoulder. "We need to be adults about this. Let's agree to always meet in a public place and to not, under any circumstances, be alone together. Does that sound fair to you?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, that sounds fair." He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes as Castiel's hand graced over his cheek. He resisted the urge to lean into it. He opened his eyes and choked out. "Also, no more touching."

"Oh," Cas said, removing his hand. The empty space where his fingers had been tracing now felt cold and lonely. Castiel glanced over him one last time before saying, "Goodbye, Dean."

"See you. Castiel." Dean responded in kind and the other man crossed behind him, walking away.

Dean took a deep breath before he began his trek to his car, using all of his willpower not to look back.

 

The car seemed so much farther away than it had been this morning. He reached into his pocket and unlocked the car. He piled his bag and other work shit into the trunk before slamming it shut. He sat on the hood of the car as he waited for Ben to be let out of his afternoon session.

Dean heard the school bell's faint dismissal and then Ben was coming out. He walked over and Dean felt himself fill with affection for his boy. He smiled and was returned with a toothy grin that spread from ear to ear.

"Hey, Ben!" He scooped up the boy in his arms, grateful to have someone to get his mind off of the stress.

"Hey, dad!" Ben squeezed him in a tight hug before he let him down.

"How was school today?" Dean asked, opening the trunk.

"Okay." Ben vaguely said, tossing his backpack in. A very student-like response.

"Just, okay?" Dean prodded.

"Yeah. Just okay." Ben repeated, opening up the door and climbing into the back seat.

"You sure? You didn't learn anything interesting today?" Dean pursued as he pulled his own seatbelt across his chest and shut his door.

"Well," Ah there it was. "Mrs. Robinson started teaching us about the Civil War today. I guess that was kind of cool." 

"Ohhh, the Civil War now? Why don't you tell me all about that as we drive home." Dean tossed out. Ben seemed happy to comply and they spent the car ride talking about states, the north and the south, and how Mrs. Robinson went on for a long time about the slave trade. Dean genuinely smiled at that. Cassie must be teaching of social injustice from an early grade. He didn't expect any less of her.

Ben seemed to be in a happy mood when the pulled into the driveway and so when he asked if he could go down and play at his friend's house, Dean gave him the word. Ben yelled out a thank you and took off down the street.

Dean eyed the front door with apprehension. Now that Ben was gone, the feeling of hesitation about coming home settled into his bones again. He should not feel this way about coming home to his own house. He should not be wishing not to go see his wife. Yet he was. He was.

Dean took a deep breath but before he could open the door, Lisa was swinging it open. Her dark hair was in a messy ponytail and she had a shawl around her toned shoulders. She tugged it up over them as she saw Dean.

"Where's Ben?" She broke the ice and Dean let out a long exhale.

"He went to go play with Lucas," Dean informed her, climbing up the stairs and passing Lisa into the house.

"Why would you let him do that?" She questioned, but Dean felt like it was an accusation.

"Why wouldn't I?" Dean countered, folding his arms.

"Because he has chores to do?" Lisa made it seem like he didn't even know that. And he hated being patronized.

"So he can do them when he gets back." Dean tried to brush it off.

"That's not the point Dean. He's supposed to do them right when he gets home." She was pushing his buttons now and he did not have the energy to keep his tongue in check. He turned into the snack cupboard, trying to keep his cool. He did not think Lisa would be so pushy so soon. "Did you even ask him if he had any homework to do?"

"You know what," Dean slammed the cabinet door shut, "No, Lisa, I didn't. You know why? Because sometimes kids just need a break to have fun and go play."

Lisa stepped towards him with calculation. "It's Monday, Dean. He had all weekend to play." She spoke through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, well I say that the kid needed a little bit of more fun because he asked me if we were getting divorced this morning."

Lisa narrowed her eyes and widened her stance. "If he heard anything from last night it was because you were the one who was shouting."

"Oh, _I'm_ the one who was shouting?" Dean defended, "What about you, huh? I seem to remember things being thrown."

Lisa gaped at him in unbridled offense. "You deserved to have things thrown at you, you asshole!"

"I deserved to have things thrown at me?" Dean had heard Lisa say a lot of bullshit before but this was a new low. 

Lisa stood by her stance. "Yeah. You did."

"How?" Dean prompted, daring her. "How did making _one mistake_ that meant _nothing_ deserve having a fucking beer bottle thrown at my head?"

"Do _not_ turn this around on me. _You're_ the one who ruined everything. _You're_ the one who broke my trust." Lisa turned around and tried to calm herself down from what Dean could see. "I want you to pack your things."

"What?" Dean's anger ignition began boiling now.

"I said: I want you to pack your things." Yeah, that is exactly what he thought she said. All he could do was place his hands on his hips and face the ceiling.

"Does Ben get a say in this?" He demanded, looking at her again.

"Ben has nothing to do with this!" Lisa proclaimed.

"Well if you're considering divorce, I'd say it sure as hell involves him!" Dean shouted, pointing at the door as if Ben was standing in the doorway.

"He doesn't need to know anything!" Lisa cried, gesturing brashly with one arm. "Now, pack up your shit and get out of this house!"

"You will not separate me from my son!" Dean declared firmly, raising his voice even louder.

"Ben is not your son!" Lisa cried, pushing him.

Silence.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been my favorite chapter to write so far.  
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading!!


	4. Chapter 4

Lisa stared at him with wide eyes, her hands cupping the outside of her mouth and face as the reality of what she just exploded settled into the air.

Dean couldn't move. His legs were planted and his arms were stiff. His face was frozen in a contortion that was seemingly confused but eyes light with the kindling blaze of betrayal and devastation. He felt his once heated blood begin to creep into a cold rushing ache within himself. Time seemed to be slowed as he blinked a few times, each time they shut, it felt forced and unnatural.

"What?" His voice was a deadly kind of quiet. Dean began to wrap himself around the situation.

His wife turned away from him abruptly and walked over to the couch. She sat down and Dean began to find his voice again.

"Lisa, what the fuck do you mean Ben's not my son?" He pushed further, pacing towards her. She cast him a guilty gaze, her mouth in a remorseful frown and her eyes slanting inward with a heaviness.

Dean couldn't shake this feeling that was begining to crawl over his skin. There was a new feeling when looking at Lisa now. Just seconds ago he would have died for her. Now it felt as if he was married to a complete stranger. All of a sudden, this woman whom he loved so dearly turned on a dime and was now the thing he hated most in the whole goddamn universe.

She still didn't answer him. Dean stormed forward and slammed his hand against the wooden side table next to the couch. Lisa flinched at the rattling sound of the impact of his fist.

"Lisa, _what in god's holy fucking name do you mean Ben is not by goddamn son_?" He bellowed, not caring that she cringed away from him at that as well. "Huh? Explain this to me." He demanded again. But she stiffened and gave him a look that was filled with her stubbornness that he used to love and refused to answer.

Then Dean could feel the absoluteness of the conditions settling into place like the pieces of a puzzle. He began to put the information together and knew from Lisa's reactions that she wasn't lying. This couldn't be happening. The crippling truth was wrecking his mind, his perceptions of every memory he had with Lisa were becoming soured.

He pulled away from his wife and slugged into the kitchen once more, backing up, never letting his eyes off of her. If he looked away then he was going to break.

"Is he really not mine?" The crack in his voice was filled with duplicity.

The flash of shame he witnessed pass over Lisa's face was more of an answer that he would be able to pull out of her verbally.

"Goddamnit," He whispered to himself, finally forcing his eyes away from the woman, the stranger, in his living room.

Disappointment, shame, foolishness, anger, sadness, failure, all advanced through the inner workings of his mind. All these feelings piled up on one another until he couldn't feel anything but cold, dead, animosity.

He took a deep breath before he stalked down the hallway with thundering stomps made with each foot. He stormed his way into the bedroom and yanked open the closet door. A small duffle bag flew out of the closet as he wrenched it out, also ripping as many shirts off their hangers as he could.

As he stuffed shirt after shirt in the bag, his mind was pulsating. Thoughts ringed around at the forefront of his skull. He didn't know what to do, all he knew was that he could not stay in this house any longer. The events of recent weeks have put the worst strain on his mental well-being since his mother died. Not wanting to experience that amount of emotional pain again, he was desperate to get away and to escape.

His movements were abrupt and sudden as he ripped open his desser and began loading the rest of his laundry. He ran his hand over the top and grabbed items that were important. He packed the gold amulet he had given to his brother, Sam, who gave it back a few years ago; he packed the only picture he had left of his mother; he packed the picture of Sam and Jessica's wedding; he packed the picture of Sam with his Law Degree.

In the hurry, his fingers graced the last picture frame he wanted to take. It was himself, holding Ben as an infant, only hours old. Dean delicately picked up the frame and stared at it. Ben's face was scrunched in a small yawn, or cry, he couldn't remember which. Ben's little arms were outstretched, reaching. Dean's smile was small and sad as he remembered the weight of Ben in his arms that day. Looking at that picture caused an emergence of raw devastation.

How could Lisa have lied to him? How could she have kept it all to herself?

He felt an ache in his chest at the thought of not being Ben's dad. The greatest job he ever had the pleasure to have. Flashes of Ben's life passed before his eyes. The first steps, the first words, the first bike, the first day of school, that cute play he was in last year. All of those memories felt tainted knowing that he should not have been the man experiencing those moments. He felt he had been robbed of a genuine relationship with Ben.

Gripping the frame with vigor, he thrust it into the duffle bag and zipped that fucker up. Then he threw it over his shoulder and stormed down the hallway.

He gave only one look at Lisa and stated firmly, "I'm going to find a place to stay. I will come back to collect my things tomorrow and to explain what is going on to Ben."

"You can't just leave." Lisa said and Dean looked at her incredulously.

"You just said for me to pack up my shit and leave," Dean argued.

"I just said that out of anger, and you know that," She said bitterly.

"Just like you said Ben wasn't my son out of anger?" Dean accused. "I guess I wasn't the only one who cheated."

"I'm the one who drove this into the ground? You're the one who screw this up Dean."

"I wasn't the only one! It's a two-way street, Lisa. Well, actually it's a three-way street. You, me, and some jackass you hooked up with!" He exclaimed.

"10 years ago!"

Dean Scoffed. Lisa pushed her anger forward, saying, "You know, when I first started dating you, my friends told me to get out while I could. Do you know why, Dean?" Lisa said, approaching him daringly with her arms crossed.

"No," Dean said, "but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"They said that bisexuals were more likely to cheat." Dean's face immediately fell into a grimace of rage, but Lisa kept going. "I didn't believe them at first, but I guess they were right."

Dean took in a deep, heated breath and said, "That's a new blow, even for you." He threw his back and walked over to the door, and said before opening it, "At least my mistake didn't ruin a child's home life." And then he was walking out of the house, not even bothering to give her another look.

 

He threw open the garage and walked to his car. Yanking off the white cover sheet revealed his masterpiece. A sleek, black 1967 Chevy Impala. He settled into the familiar seat, tossing his back onto the passenger side and turned the key with an intimacy of old friends.

As he was pulling out of the drive way he spoke out loud to himself, "Where do we go from now, Baby?" Instinct told him to call Sam. Sam was always willing to take his sorry ass in, the motherfucker did it for years during Dean's drifter phase. But he couldn't go to his brother. Sam and Jess were just starting to get settled into married life and Dean thought it would be best if he left them out of this drama, at least for now.

Charlie it was, then. He lived with her for a couple of years in college, it would be like getting back into the swing of how things used to be. Even though Dean would still have to listen to Charlie and Dorothy in the bedroom next door. They had been awfully loud when they were dating. Dean could only imagine what they were like now that they'd tied the knot. But he could live with that.

He whipped out his phone and dialed her number. The tones buzzed and buzzed. Impatience tapped at Dean as he waited.

"Hey, stranger!" Charlie chirped as the line connected.

"Hey, Charlie, can I ask you a huge favor?" Dean closed his eyes briefly and then refocused on the road as he made his way towards her house.

"Depends what it is. I've already told you I won't help you kill, maim, or bury someone." She warned humorously.

Dean gave a small, sad smirk. "No, none of that." The apathy in his voice must have been obvious because the charge of the conversation became very serious.

"What's up?" Charlie asked, her voice clearly concerned.

"I need a place to stay. Lisa and I..." He couldn't bring himself to elaborate.

The silence on the other end of the phone spoke louder than words.

"Wow, Dean, I'm so sorry."

"It was coming but the way things escalated went the worst way they could have gone." It was the understatement of the century. "Could I just crash at your place for a couple of days until I have enough money to check into a hotel?"

"I'm sorry that you and Lisa are splitting up," the remorse Charlie's voice held in it made Dean bow his head. "But Dorothy's family is staying with us for the week and I can't exact--" He cut her off

"No, no, it's okay, Charlie. It was last minute and totally rushed." Dean conceded as yet another disappointment was presented today. But he knew that Charlie would have done it any other time. And he knew that Dorothy came first for her so he could not blame her for not being able to take him in.

"I'm really sorry, Dean.." Her voice was genuinely apologetic.

"Don't worry about it, kid," Dean assured. "But do know any place I could go for a few nights?"

"Did you ask Sam?" Charlie offered.

"Sammy has enough on his plate with the new married life. I don't want to burden him." He explained.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind, Dean," Charlie said, "And Jessica is one of the best divorce lawyers out there."

"Yeah, you're right about that," Dean admitted, "Maybe I'll ask them to help me out but I really don't want them to have to take me in."

"I see your point, there," Charlie thought, "Benny?"

"I like the guy, but I don't know if he'd be the best choice." Dean countered. Benny was a nice guy, but they didn't always get along, so Dean didn't feel comfortable asking that of him.

"Oh!" Charlie trilled, "I know exactly the place! Write this down."

"Just tell me, I'll remember it." Dean continued to drive, this time with no particular destination in mind.

"Go to 18 Angel's Drive, building A, apartment 23. I have a friend there who might be able to help you out." Charlie sounded so full of herself.

Dean scoffed, "And what's this friend's name?"

"The tag on the buzzer should read 'Jimmy'. He's new to town, but I think you'll like him." Charlie guaranteed. Dean could feel her smile through the phone.

18 Angel's Drive, Building A, Apartment 23. Got it.

"Thanks, Charlie. You're the best." Dean said gratefully, wondering who this "Jimmy" character would be and if he would be comfortable with knowing Dean was bisexual.

"As always! Oh, Dorothy's home. Time for momma to get some sugar. Bye Dean! Hope everything works out for the best." Dean wondered how she would be able to 'get sugar' with Dorothy's family there but then he remembered that they were having sex in the shower one while he was going to the bathroom and he didn't hear a thing. They were loud in their own room, but they could be silent if they wanted to.

"Bye, Charlie! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Dean joked as he hung up. What would he do without that girl? Man, he would not be able to get his ass to do anything.

His GPS said that this apartment building was a good fifteen minutes away so he had time to think about Charlie's suggestion to call Sam. He knew that he should. Sam was his brother and they were as close as two people could get but he hadn't explained what was going on with Lisa yet. Dean wasn't sure that he wanted to have that conversation right now. But he couldn't possibly afford a lawyer as good as Jessica without having a family connection, and Sam was the only one who had any connections in the law system. Calling Sam, it was.

He opened his contacts and pressed his brother's icon. He brought it up to his ear and sat through tones again. One. Two. Three. Four. And to voice mail. Of course no one was home. Or maybe Sam and Jessica were a little busy and didn't want to spoil the mood.

The voicemail operater droned her tone and when the beep went off Dean started, "Hey Sammy, It's Dean. Something has happened and I need to talk to you. Call me when you get this and I'll explain everything." Then he hung up.

God if there was anything Dean hated more than calling his brother to help deal with his probem, is that now he has to wait for Sam to call him back. Leaving a voice mail gave him more anxiety than substituting for a senior CT English Class. He knew nothing about English but he did know that it takes Sam an obsecenely long amount of time to check his fucking voicemial.

Damn this apartment building was in a very secluded area, Dean noticed. There were oak and elm trees lining the road, almost blocking the street signs and roads. undrebrush was thick and Dean could barely see where the road ended and the forest floor began.

With just a little bit of struggle, Dean managed to find Angel's Drive. It was a tiny off road hidden by trees but it lead to a beautiful complex called "Heaven Gardens."

It was a little biblical for Dean's taste but he would not help but admire the geometric buildings. They were all white, it appeared to be. With large, open windows for each appartment. The blaconies had black lace terrace rails. Everything was just so aestheitcally pleasing. Every shape was completemetary and Dean wondered why any contractor would build this without having the intention for people to see it.

Driving along down the outside of each seperate building, Dean scanned. Looking for Building A. He must have come through the back entrance because all he was seeing were buildings labeled with letters from the end of the alphabet. He passed W, U, T, S, and R and A seemed to be nowhere in sight but Dean kept rolling down, hoping he wasn't looking as suspicous as he felt.

Letter by letter, the building's passed and finally, at the end of the strip there was Building A. Dean found a decent parking spot and debated on whether or not to bring his bag up with him. He didn't know if Charlie had told this guy, Jimmy, that he was coming and didn't know if he was even willing to let Dean stay, so he decided against bringing his shit up. He got out of Baby and shut her door.

He made his way up a couple white marble stone steps before he came to large glass doors. To the right of the doors, there was a box that had buttons on them. Each button had a name scribbled next to it. Dean figured this must be the buzzer system so he strolled a finger down each button, looking for Apartment 23.

On the last button, it read 23 and next to it there was a new filled out space, written "Jimmy" in messy letters. Dean hesitated a little before slowly pressing the button. He heart thundered in his ears and his blood rushed.

A loud responding hum alerted him that the door was now open and Dean figured that Charlie must have let this guy know he was getting company. Dean let himself into the building and was again astonded at the beauty of the building. But he told himself that he could appreciate the decor later, as soon as he met this Jimmy guy.

He inspected every door as he passed by, looking for the number 23. He figured that since the button was on the bottom , he needed to go up to the top floor. So he found an elevator and selected the fourth floor. The number's ticked by slowly and Dean couldn't help thinking of the last time he was in an elevator that day. His cheeks began to burn at the thought of Castiel, both with shame and excitement.

The elevator dinged and Dean walked out into the hall. He strode down the way and then found the room that he was looking for.

The numbers on the doors were like that of a fancy hotel. The two and three were curvy, as if numbers could be written in cursive.

Dean held up a reluctant fist to the door, before knocking lightly with his knuckles. Footsteps responded in kind and started towards the door. Dean felt his palms become clamy and prayed that his guy would let him stay. The door knob turned and Dean looked down for a split second before it opened.

"Dean?"

Dean whipped up and jumped twenty feet when he saw Castiel standing in the doorway, a coffee mug in his hands, wearing nothing but a robe and boxers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to post this! School has just been really loaded lately.  
> Let me know what you guys think in the comments! I love reading every single one of them!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel had just finished his shower when he heard the knocking at his door. Being only in his underwear, he dashed quickly around, looking for at least a robe. When He found his dark blue bathrobe, he wrapped it around him as tightly as he could. But as he walked over to answer the door, he felt the tie become very loose and slip off. He didn't even try to tie it back, he knew that it would just keep falling off.

The person at the door must be the guy that Charlie had asked him to make room for. She said that he was an old friend and that Castiel would get along with him really well. When he had asked for a name she said that he was an undercover FBI agent and couldn't give his name. Castiel knew she had been joking but he still didn't like knowing who was at his door. But, he grew up believing that when a friend's friend is in trouble, you help out. People help people and if this guy needed a place to crash, Castiel was going to help him. Even if he didn't know his name.

Castiel didn't know what to expect when he opened the door. But he most definitely did not expect Dean Winchester.

"Dean?" Maybe this guy was just someone who looked like Dean. Castiel hardly thought that Dean would want to see him. Especially after that afternoon. But gaging the reaction that the man had, Castiel was certain it was the real Dean. Dean Winchester was at his door and all he was wearing was his boxers and robe while he was holding his tea. How attractive.

Dean appeared to be very confused. He eyes were wide and he was looking up and around Castiel's face. Cas suddenly felt very vulnerable and shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny. There was no feeling like having your crush catch you off guard.

"Cas what are you doing here?" Dean asked, apparently deciding he was the real thing.

Castiel squinted and gestured openly around the area. "I live here." He thought that was obvious but apparently Dean needed a little confirmation.

Dean looked like he was going to say something but then he stopped himself. Castiel could see the gears working in his head before Dean choice to say, "if you live here, why does your name tag say 'Jimmy'?" Dean put his hands on his hips and Castiel felt as if he was being patronized. Dean couldn't just show up at his house and question him, even if Charlie did send him.

"James is my middle name. Jimmy was a nickname I had when I first moved here." Castiel informed, putting down his tea on the side table next to the door. "How did you know where I lived? Did Charlie send you?"

"Yeah. Did she tell you I was coming?" Oh great, Castiel bet Charlie thought she was playing matchmaker. But she was just playing with the matches.

"Yeah, but she did not tell me that it was you specifically." Castiel nervously adjusted his robe and attempted to tie the knot. However it slipped and came undone again, falling to his sides, opening his robe even more.

At this, Castiel saw Dean's eyes fall over his body again, only this time, Dean knew that it was him. And his eyes wandered. They fell at his feet and worked their way up. Castiel could feel the gaze as if Dean was actually touching him. The room became charged with a heat and electricity sparked when Dean's stare met and held his.

"Yeah, I figured." Dean spoke, trying to cut the connection but not ever looking away. It wasn't until a loud bang came from the kitchen that they finally felt the heat cool and conversation return slightly back to normal. There was still an intimacy that was felt but neither one of them said anything.

"What was that?" Dean asked, looking over Castiel's shoulder. Castiel tossed a look in the direction, trying to see if anything had been split, but there was no drink puddling on the ground so it must have been the plate he left on the counter.

"Oh," Castiel said, turning back around, "That was probably Naomi, my cat." And speak of the devil and she shall appear, Castiel's brown and white cat slinked in and curled up on the sofa, acting as if nothing happened.

"You have a cat?" Dean inquired, looking a bit astounded.

"Yeah, she's a bitch but I can't ever find the heart to get rid of her."

"Ah." Dean seemed to get it. "Um, Cas, I don't mean to be intrusive or nothing, but would you mind letting me in?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Castiel stood aside and let Dean pass through. He couldn't help but stare at Dean's ass as he walked by. He subconsciously licked his lips and tried to ignore the heat pooling in his lower back.

He cleared his throat, and Dean turned around in a reaction. "You can um," Castiel started, "take the couch if you want."

"Wait," Dean was looking more confused than ever at the moment, "I can't stay here, Cas."

"What? Why not?"

"Cas, we had this discussion earlier."

"Oh, yes. My apologies," Castiel said, "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable. I know we had an agreement to not be alone together, but if you need a place to stay, I am more than willing to let you sleep here."

"Thanks, Cas." Dean's eyes filled with an emotion that Castiel could not decipher. I was not so much sadness, but also a mixture of anger and disappointment. Something had happened to Dean earlier and it did not end well for him. Castiel felt his heart tug and he made his way over to Dean.

He laid a hand on his shoulder and asked quietly, "Are you alright?"

Dean didn't say anything. He just shook his head, his eyes brimming with small tears and Castiel knew that whatever went down was absolutely terrible. Even in the few months that he has known Dean, he knows him enough to have figured out that Dean Winchester is not a man who cries easily.

Castiel led him by the shoulder and sat him down on the sofa. Naomi meowed before crawling onto Dean's lap and purring as she rubbed her head on his palms. Castiel took a seat next to Dean, careful not to make physical contact, all while still looking at Dean. Dean was smiling sadly at the cat in his arms and a single tear dripped down his cheek.

"She likes you." Castiel prompted.

"Yeah, would you look at that." Dean agreed, softly scratching behind her ears.The cat arched her neck into his palm in encouragement for more.  

Castiel took a shallow, yet deep, breath before asking, "What happened, if it is okay for me to ask?"

Dean sighed and looked at him. Castiel felt the ache ricocheting in Dean’s mind. He could see the inner workings of his thought processes as he was probably debating whether or not telling him about what obvious catastrophic event lead to him sitting on his couch.

Leaning forward marginally, Castiel reasoned in as soft and understanding voice as he possibly could, “You don’t have to tell me, Dean. Please don’t feel as if you have to explain yourself.” Castiel gave a small, reassuring smile, receiving a sad, grateful one in return.

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean’s voice was small, unguarded, vulnerable, a sense that Castiel never had felt with Dean Winchester before. This man had walls up since the day they met. His walls had been, at best, barricaded reinforced titanium steel. But right now, Castiel felt as if those walls were merely graham crackers crumbling.

As Dean seemed to be focused on stroking a now sleeping Naomi, Castiel took the opportunity to excuse himself from the couch. He stood up and, finally, was able to tie his robe correctly. He checked the time. Only 4:15? This day has been going by in slow motion it felt like.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” Castiel offered, “I’ve just made a fresh brew.” He walked over to the stand where he’d left the mug and gingerly gestured it towards Dean.

“Oh, no thanks.” Dean waved the tea off sincerely, but after a few beats as Castiel entered the kitchen he asked, “Do you have anything, y’know, stronger?”

Pouring himself a new hot mug of Earl Grey, Cas threw back, “What do you mean?”

“Y’know, bourbon? Any alcohol would do.” Dean called back.

“Oh.” Cas turned back around and walked cautiously back over to the couch, careful not to spill his drink. “No, sorry,” he apologized as he took his far corner of the cushions again, “I, um, I don’t drink.”

Dean tossed him a confused glance and appeared to be retracing his steps. “What? You don’t drink?”

“Nope. I don’t drink.” Castiel affirmed, taking a tiny sip of his tea, enjoying the bitterness of having it black.

“But?” Dean started, adjusting his body to face Castiel, “Sorry to bring this up, but weren’t you at the bar that night, when, we, y’know?”

_Kissed._ Castiel mentally smacked his forehead. This guy couldn’t even get the words out about what they did when they were alone. “Well, yeah I was at the bar. But I was drinking ginger ale.”

“So,” Dean sat back for a second, “You were sober the whole right?”

“Mhmm,” Castiel mumbled as he brought his mug to his lips again.

“So, you, you remember everything?” Dean was staring at him as if he held the key to all of his secrets. As if the idea of Castiel remembering, in clear detail, how their lips had fit together and how the felt when they moved together.

“Mm, yes.” Castiel tried not to look Dean in the eye and kept sipping at his tea.

“Jesus.” He felt Dean’s body fall back against the couch, causing Naomi to be jerked awake. She climbed down out of his lap and sauntered how the hall but Dean paid her no attention. He just started up at the ceiling lazily and dreamlike.

“It wasn’t a bad night, Dean.” Castiel tried to prompt. He knew Dean had negative feelings about what happened that night, but Castiel felt that Dean needed to see that things weren’t as bad as he was making them out to be.

“Oh, I know it wasn’t. Just one fucking hell of a fallout.” Dean’s voice was drifting and soft, hollow even, as he appeared to be in deep thought.

“I can’t argue with that.” Castiel finished his tea, placed the cup on the coffee table and matched Dean in leaning into the couch, staring directly up into the textured beige ceiling.

They sat there in a few moment of comfortable silence before Dean said, “But I mean, I should have seen it coming.”

Cas turned his head towards Dean but Dean was still staring off into space, lost in the cosmos of his mind, “What do you mean?”

“It’s weird.” Dean responded, coming out of his mind somewhat, “Lisa and I had been growing apart and I thought a fun night on the town with Charlie would do me some good, but it turned out to be one of the worst events of my life.”

Castiel felt shit cheeks burn with shame. “Oh, I-”

“Not because it was you, Cas, but because it happened.” Dean insisted, “I let myself do it. I wanted to do it. I wanted and did cheat on my wife. That’s not something a good person does.”

Castiel tried reasoning, “You are a good person, Dean. You just made one small mistake.”

“Small? This mistake wasn’t small, Cas. It was a fucking nuke on my life.”

“I know it must feel like tha-”

“It doesn’t just feel like that, genius. It is like that. My life will never be able to go back to fucking normal. No after today.” Dean raked his hands down his face.

“Do you want to talk about it? I can just listen.” Castiel turned slightly on his side towards Dean.

Dean sniffed and then started. "Well. After you and I had that argument. I picked up Ben and we had a nice talk. It was all nice. Until I got home.” He shifted uncomfortably, glancing back and forth between Castiel and the ceiling. “I had let Ben go play and Lisa was mad at me for it. It was clear that she wasn't just mad about that, but she was just angry at me. We got in this big fight and it escalated. And she said-" He's voice cut off and he kind of just rubbed his hands along his face, looking utterly defeated.

"What did she say, Dean?" Castiel asked quietly, not wanting to push Dean farther than he's willing to go.

Dean just looked at him, face in one of those frowns that you can't control. "She told me that Ben wasn't my son." He slowly drew a gaze at him, his eyes brimming with tears that had not yet, but were threatening to form.

Castiel had absolutely no idea what to say about that. He just sat back for a second as his mind rattled through how to respond but was coming up empty. "Dean, I," He began, "I have no idea what to say."

"Yeah me neither." Dean sunk into the couch even further, his weight pressing firmly into the cushions.

"Are you sure she was telling the truth?" Castiel couldn't even fathom how a woman would be able to keep such a thing from both her husband and her son.

"Oh, she was telling the truth. I know that woman too well to know when she is lying. And she wasn't lying." Dean's devastation rang clear and he was certainly having a life crisis.

"What did you tell Ben?" Castiel asked. The boy had to be scared. Castiel knew the effects of divorce. Growing up with only one parent was going to be hell for Ben if that was the road Dean was planning on taking.

"I didn't tell Ben anything.” Dean confessed, “He wasn't home when I left.”

"Dean-" Castiel started, but he was cut off.

"I know, I know, but I couldn't be there. I couldn't look at his face and know that I am not his father."

“You can’t just leave Ben there with this out. He’ll probably be more scared than you are.” Castiel qualified.

“If Lisa even tells him.” Dean’s snarky displeasure had shown through in that small phrase, as bitter as the winter breeze.

“It doesn’t matter if Lisa tells him. It matters if you tell him.” Castiel insisted, pressing him to do the right thing, hoping that Dean wasn’t going to stay out of Ben’s life because of this.

“What are you getting at, Cas?” Dean was clearly no in the mood for the build up, small talk.

“That kid has only ever had you, Dean.” Castiel pushed, “You’re his father whether you are biologically connected or not. You can not just abandon him.”

Dean sat upright and threw his arms up in defense, “Whoa, I never said I was abandoning him.”

Castiel, too, sat up, and confronted him. “Then why are you here? Why did you run?”

“Because I just couldn’t be in the house. I just couldn’t, Cas.”

Castiel felt the brief stubbornness melt away as he heard Dean’s pleading words. He knew that feeling of needing to escape.  How could he blame Dean for that? “I understand that, but you have to consider Ben.”

“I know. You’re right.” Dean relaxed into the couch once more, this time, less devastated, but more frustrated, “But I have no idea how to do that.”

“Just,” Castiel acknowledged Dean’s dilemma and proposed a course of action he thought would be best, “stay here for the night, call him and explain that you won’t be coming home tonight, and then in the morning, you and I will call him down to the elementary school guidance office after school and tell him everything.”

“You’re alright doing that?” Dean inquired appreciatively.

“I was alright with it the moment you stepped through the door.” Cas expressed, bending over the side of the couch, pulling up a bundle of blankets and a pillow, showing them to Dean.

“Thank you, Cas.” Dean smiled, clearly calmer after having gotten this off of his chest.

“If it makes things better, I can have the couch tonight and you can have the bed.” Castiel offered, gesturing to the dark room at the end of  the hallway.

“Oh, no, man,” Dean declined gently, “The couch is fine. You are doing so much already. I could never take your bed.”

The thought of Dean ‘taking his bed’ caused a small blush to creep up Castiel’s cheeks. More explicit thoughts curved into his mindset and he could see himself running hands over Dean’s thighs and kissing underneath his knees. But Dean never noticed as he excused himself to go get his things from his car.

As Dean stepped out into the hall and the door shut behind him, Castiel rushed into his bedroom. He was so goddamn lucky that the robe had stayed tied. If it hadn’t and more skin had been showing, he didn’t think that they would have lasted that long in the same room together in such closeness without touching. Castiel respected Dean’s boundaries with no hesitation but the urge to reach out and caress, just to touch, Dean became almost unbearable with so little clothes on.

He rummaged through his drawers and found the ugliest, most unflattering pair of pajama pants and the rattiest t-shirt he could find. This way, Dean wouldn’t even think about looking at him, let alone touching him.

As he was making his way out, he heard Dean returning. When he got to the living room, he saw Dean standing in the middle of the living room, holding a big duffle bag that looked half full, with a cell phone to his ear.

“Ben?” Castiel mouthed.

Dean nodded his head as Cas could hear the faint dial tones of the other end of the line. As the rings toned out, Dean dropped the duffle bag net to the couch and sat down. Castiel saw that it was nearing 5:00 and decided to start making some mac and cheese for an early dinner.

Making his way through the pantry, he couldn’t help but listen in on Dean’s phone call, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

“Lisa, please put Ben on the phone.” A pause. “Just, please, I need to tell him.” Lisa was clearly avidly against Dean talking to Ben as Castiel could hear her voice from all the way in the kitchen, over the sound of the faucet filling up a metal pot. “No, I won’t tell him what’s going on. I just need to tell him I’m not coming home.” Castiel placed the pot on top of the stove and flicked the gas burner on. “Fuck Lisa, this has nothing to do with you. Now, please, put my son on the phone.” Cas took this moment to carefully open a package of elbow noodles and slowly dump them into the pot of water. “Hey, Ben. I’m sorry man, but I won’t be making it home tonight. I have to stay at a friend’s house, okay?” Castiel smiled as he listened to Dean talk, tenderly stirring the noodles as he did. “Don’t worry, you’ll see me tomorrow after school.” Castiel tested the noodles and found they were the right consistency to drain and add milk, cheese, and butter. “I love you, bud. I’ll see you soon. Goodnight.” Dean was done just in time for the mac and cheese.

Castiel poured the gooey, cheesy noodles into a sharing pasta bowl and grabbed two smaller serving bowls. He walked out into the living room and handed Dean his. “How was the phone call?”

“Lisa was a bit bitter but it was nice to talk to Ben,” Dean said as he took the bowl and they walked into the kitchen.

“Did it make you feel any better?” Castiel probed as they sat down at a small round dinner table, where the mac and cheese sharing bowl was centered on. “I normally don’t cook for two. I hope there is enough for you.”

“Oh there’s plenty, Cas. Don’t worry,” Dean assured, grabbing a couple of large spoonfuls for himself, “And yeah. It did. I feel a lot better. Thank you.” Cas nodded in acknowledgment and then served himself.

They ate in a comfortable silence that felt natural, serene. It was nice, Castiel thought, to share another’s company without having to worry about continuing a conversation in hopes of maintaining the connection. With Dean, it felt so easy.

Finishing up the last couple of bites he had, Castiel asked, “How long are you going to be staying?”

On that question, Dean seemed to chew on his food a little slower, gnawing on an answer. He swallowed and looked at Castiel. “Well, I don’t know. I was planning to stay with Charlie until I could get a hotel, so maybe a week? But I don’t know anymore.”

“Why not?” Castiel wiped his face with a napkin and eyed Dean quizzically. Sure, he could stay for a week. What would be the harm in that?

“I’m not staying with Charlie anymore. I’m here.” Dean sounded as if he was implying staying here was less temporary than staying at Charlie’s.

“So?” Cas continued.

“So...I just don’t think it would be the best idea if I stayed here for too long. Because of, y'know.”

“A week isn’t that long, Dean.” Castiel insisted, “Plus, we have to plan the Formal together anyway. Just stay here for the full week and we can kill two birds with one stone.”

Dean looked hesitant at first but then said, “Alright. That is the best course of action, I guess.” Castiel smiled widely and saw that Dean couldn’t help but smile back in full fruition.

“Hey, why don’t you go choose a movie on Netflix while I clean up and after the dishes are done we can just chill for the rest of the night.” Castiel suggested. He was met with Dean’s eyebrows raising and a hesitant grimace. “Not _that_ kind of chill, Dean.” Dean looked relieved, yet, Cas could daresay he looked disappointed.

That is what they did. As Castiel put away the leftovers and rinse the few dishes off in the sink, Dean found a show he had been deeply involved in. Cas walked in with a full bag of Smartfood and tossed Dean an incredulous glance once he saw what was on the T.V.

“Dr. Sexy M.D.? Really?” Cas asked as he sat down on the couch next to him.

“Each episode is a fucking cinematic masterpiece. Have you ever seen it?” Dean wondered.

“Not really.” Castiel confessed, wondering how in the hell a guy like Dean Winchester liked shows like Dr. Sexy M.D.

Dean’s face appeared as if Castiel had told him he was pregnant. “What?! Oh my god. Netflix has every season so far. Get ready, bitch, we’re starting from the beginning.” Cas chuckled at Dean’s enthusiasm but was happy that he was no longer as upset as he had been when he first walked through the door.

They watched episode after episode of Dr Sexy M.D., Dean clearly had seen every single one enough times to talk along with it but he still seemed to never tire of it. It made Cas beam with happiness to see his friend so passionate about something.

  
And Castiel swears that towards the end of their binge of the first season as the early hours of the night began, he felt Dean’s leg rest against his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this is so late.  
> First there was Christmas and the holidays, then there were finals at school.  
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, though!!!!  
> Thank you for reading! Don't be afraid to leave me a comment and tell me what you think!


End file.
